1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lever-type connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
A lever-type connector is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 3-4672. This lever-type connector includes a female housing with opposite front and rear ends and upper and lower walls that extend between the front and rear ends. The upper and lower walls each have an outer surface. Upper and lower plates extend forward from the rear end of the outer surface of each of the upper and lower walls of the female housing, and legs of a gate-shaped lever are installed respectively between the inner side of each plate and the outer surface of the corresponding upper or lower wall of the female housing. A shaft pin is fitted in a shaft hole formed on the plate to support the lever rotatably. The hood of a male housing can penetrate into the space between the outer surfaces of the female housing and the inner sides of the plates.
The housings are fit on each other by initially positioning a follower pin that projects from the outer surface of the male housing into the circular arc-shaped cam groove formed on the lever. Both housings then are moved toward each other by rotating the lever and relying on a cam action between the follower pin and the cam groove.
The front portion of the gate-shaped lever may warp during its molding operation. The front end of a lever that is warped inward can project into the above-described space between the outer surface of the female housing and the inner side of the plate. In this case, the hood of the male housing that penetrates into the space interferes with the front end of the lever when both housings are fitted on each other. Thus, there is a fear that the operation of fitting both housings on each other will be obstructed.
It is conceivable to dispose a plate on the inner side of the lever to correct the inward warp of the lever. In this case, a space for receiving the penetration of the male housing is secured between the plate and the outer surface of the female housing, and a groove for receiving the penetration of the follower pin is formed on the plate.
Rotation of the lever to fit both housings on each other, imposes a force on the lever in a direction in which the lever is opened around the rotational axis. Thus, the lever may deform in the open direction and may slip off the female housing. To solve this problem, it is conceivable to form a slip-off prevention wall on the outer side of the lever to receive the force acting on the lever.
Thus, to prevent both the inward warp of the lever and the slip-off thereof, the lever should be sandwiched between the inner and outer walls, and the dimension of the gap (lever accommodation space) between both walls should be almost equal to the thickness of the lever.
However, this construction causes a problem in installing the lever on the female housing. More particularly, it is necessary to fit the shaft pin of the lever into a hole formed on the inner wall or the outer wall. However, the dimension of the gap between the inner and outer walls is almost equal to the thickness of the lever. Thus, to fit both housings on each other while the lever is being inserted into the gap between the inner and outer walls, it is necessary to forcibly flex the outer wall outward, which causes the installing operation to be difficult.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described situation. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to perform a lever-installing operation easily.
The invention is directed to a lever-type connector having a first connector housing and a second connector housing. The second connector housing is fitted on an inner side of an outer wall of the first connector housing. A lever is installed on an outer side of the outer wall of the first connector housing and has a cam surface that can engage a follower in the second connector housing. The follower moves along the cam surface in response to a rotation of the lever. Rotation of the lever in one direction will fit the first connector housing and the second connector housing on each other. Rotation of the lever in the opposite direction will separate the first connector housing and the second connector housing from each other.
An accommodation wall is formed on the outer side of the outer wall of the first connector housing. The accommodation wall forms a lever accommodation space for accommodating the lever. Thus, the lever accommodated in the lever accommodation space is sandwiched between the outer wall and the accommodation wall without forming a gap therebetween. The lever is installed rotatably on an installation member by an installing pin, and the installation member, in turn, can be installed on the first connector housing.
A reinforcing wall may connect the outer wall of the first connector housing and the accommodation wall to each other. The reinforcing wall may be formed at a front end of the first connector housing in a fit-on direction.
According to the invention, the lever is installed on the first connector housing, by first installing the lever on the installation member through the installing pin, and then installing the installation member on the first connector housing. The installation member is installed on the first connector housing, by first inserting the lever into the lever accommodation space, so that the lever is sandwiched between the outer wall and the accommodation wall without forming a gap therebetween.
Let it be supposed that molding causes the front end of the lever to be warped inward in the fit-on direction. In this case, when the lever is inserted into the lever accommodation space, the inward warp of the lever is corrected into a normal configuration because the distance between the outer wall and the accommodation wall is almost equal to the thickness of the lever.
In fitting both connector housings on each other, the lever is rotated in the state in which the follower of the second connector housing engages the cam surface of the lever. During the rotation of the lever, a force acts on the lever in a direction that would cause the lever to be opened outward (open direction). However, the lever is sandwiched between the outer wall and the accommodation wall without forming a gap therebetween. Thus, it is possible to prevent the lever from being opened outward.
Before the lever is inserted into the lever accommodation space, the lever is installed on the installation member through the installing pin. Thus, the lever can be accommodated easily in the lever accommodation space, even though the distance between the outer wall and the accommodation wall is almost equal to the thickness of the lever.
The reinforcing wall increases the strength of the accommodation wall. Further, it is possible to prevent a foreign matter from colliding with the lever at the front side in the fit-on direction. In a connector having many poles, an accommodation wall is necessarily long. Consequently, the accommodation wall is apt to have a low strength. In this respect, the present invention is particularly effective for such a connector.